CINEMA PARADISO

Cinema Paradiso Eric Thielemans Willem Heylen Kurt Van Herck Jozef Dumoulin

CINEMA PARADISO

With Empty Empty, the new album, released September 6th by Challenge Records, contemporary jazz ensemble Cinema Paradiso chooses to focus on its own compositions, guided by radical inspiration.

Cinema Paradiso functions as a trio without a leader, consisting of Kurt Van Herck (Brussels Jazz Orchestra, Dizzie Gillespie Big Band, Bert Joris Quartet), Eric Thielemans (A Snare is a Bell, EARR, Talking About the Weather) and Willem Heylen (KRAKk, Aki, Sargam).

After his guest contributions on several tracks during the recording sessions that resulted in the compilation of the first two albums (Volume I and Volume II), Jozef Dumoulin (Lidlboj, The Red Hill Orchestra, True Company) was involved in the entire creation and recording process of Empty Empty.

Now focusing on original compositions (along with some Indian chants and a piece by Claude Debussy), this album also distinguishes itself from the previous two albums by presenting a new sonic landscape.

Blending the rich timbres and textures of both the acoustic and electric sonic worlds of the musicians, we were looking to get a strong, direct, full sound that still retains enough detail and acoustic warmth.

The album was recorded and mixed by Joris Caluwaerts (STUFF.) at his Finster Studio in Antwerp and was released on September 6th 2024.

Contemporary spiritual free jazz music, raw, devotional, layered and textural, warm and unapologetically beautiful.

“The powerful sax of the underestimated Kurt Van Herck impresses, and Thielemans provides a strong foundation. This is a strong album.”
– De Standaard
“The chants of the sax, the soundscape of the guitar and keys, the strong efforts by the percussions, they open up new horizons, which we want to discover again and again.”
– Le Soir
“It’s impressive how these extraordinarily idiosyncratic musicians create pure unity out of swirling polyphony.”
– Jazz’halo

Eric Thielemans (BE) – Drums and percussion
Willem Heylen (BE) – Electric guitar and percussion
Kurt Van Herck (BE) – Tenor and soprano saxophone
Jozef Dumoulin (BE/FR) – Fender Rhodes, keyboard and grand piano

INSIDE JAZZ MANAGEMENT
BOOKING
Belgium
Manchesterstraat 49A/f, 9000 Ghent
Jens Tytgat
jens@insidejazz.be

CHALLENGE RECORDS
LABEL
The Netherlands
Sander Vos
sander.vos@newartsint.com

ATTACHÉ+++
BOOKING
Germany, Europe
Charlotte Jestaedt
charlotte@attacheplus.com